Liquid-meter.



J. B. SPEED & A. E. WRIGHT.

LIQUID METER. APPLICATION rILBn'mi-m, 190s.

918,097, vmanned Apr. 13, 1909.

IN VENTOR 5'.

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UNITED srarns JAMES BUOKNER SPEED AND ALBERT EUGENE WRIGHT, OF BERKELEY,CALIFORNIA.

To all whom it may concern.

e it known that we, JAMEs BUOKNER SPEED and ALBERT EUGENE WRIGHT,citizens of the United States, residing at Berkeley, in the county ofAlameda and State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Liquid-Meters, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to the class of liquidmeters. It is primarilyintended for measuring the amount of water flowing in irrigationditches, though it is equally applicable for measuring paper-pulp or anyother substance flowing in a trough or flume.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple, economical andefiicient meter, capable of easy application; and, to this end, ourinvention consists in the novel meter which we shall hereinafter fullydescribe, by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l isa longitudinal section, showing the application of our meter to anirrigating ditch. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line aJ-m of Fig. 1. Fig.3 1s a perspective view, partly broken.

1 is a ditch or fiume. At a suitable point in this is made a curvedconduit 2, through which all the water passes; the capacity andarrangement of the conduit being such that it is always full. Theconduit 2 has a portion of its bounding wall or Wetted perimeter mademovable, a result reached in the present illustrated form by cuttingaway or omitting a part of the fixed wall and replacing it with the rimof a drum 3. The drum 3 is mounted 011 an axle 4, and the number of itsrevolutions may be registered in any suitable manner. For the sake ofillustration we show a shaft 5 extending from the axle and connectedwith a registering device 6. By the water flowing through the conduit 2,the drum is dragged around, and from the number of its registeredrevolutions, the amount of Water passing through the conduit may beknown. The drum is housed in and is only partially immersed in the waterin. said housing, so that a body of air is kept in the housing.

7 is an air-tight housing mclosing the drum, and 8 is a pipe leadingfrom the exterior down into the conduit and terminating near Where thedrum-rim forms the movable part Specification of Letters Patent.Application filed May 15,

Patented April 13, 1909. 1968. SerialNo.432,998.

I of the wetted perimeter of said conduit. By

arranging the outer end of this pipe in such proximity to the water inthe ditch that occasionally some water will splash into it, enough aircan be entrained to replenish the air body in the drum, and keep thewater I level in the housing constant. In some cases it is desirable touse bearings for the drum of but little delicacy, and in such cases themeter would register low at small water flow and high at large waterflow. To remedy this we put inside the drum a small body of water orother liquid 9, which will offer a resistance about proportional to thesquare of the rotative speed, and thereby correct the above mentionederror at high speed.

In this meter the rim of the drum forms part of the wall of the conduit,and said drum is kept out of the Water, except where it forms said partof the wall. It, therefore, offers no obstruction, will not catchsticks, stones, grass, and other foreign substances in the water. Thefriction of its turning is so small that its speed of rotation is,within practical limits, proportional to the rate of the flow throughthe conduit. The deposition of silt, sand, etc., is prevented by therelatively high velocity through the conduit. Finally, there is thesmallest possible loss of head, that is to say, the smallest possibledifference I in the levels of the ditch entering and leaving 1 theconduit. I Having thus described our invention, what I we claim as newand desire to secure by Let ters Patent is 1. A liquid-meter comprisinga conduit; a revoluble member forming a portion of the wetted perimeterof the conduit, said member being turned by the flow of the liquidthrough said conduit; an air-tight housing inclosing said revolublemember; means for replenishing the air in said housing; and means forregistering the revolutions of said member.

2. A liquid-meter comprising a conduit; a rotatable drum an arc of therim of which forms a portion of the wetted perimeter of the conduit; anair-tight housing inclosing 1 said drum; means for replenishing the airin I said housing; and means for registering the I revolutions of saiddrum.

I 3. A liquid-meter comprising a conduit; 2.

l rotatable, hollow drum, the rim of which forms, under the action oithe flowing liquid, names to this specification in the presence of amoving ortion of the Wetted perimeter of i two subscribing Witnesses.the COIICi LUt, said drum containing a small 1 JAIVHJS BUCKNER SPEED.

ody of hquld, an an -t1ght housing inoloslng i Lu BFPT EUGENE TNRIGHTsaid drum; means for replenishing the air in J J b 1' said housing and.means for registering the Jitnesses: revolutions OI the drill PERRY T.ToMPKINs,

In testimony whereof We have signed our l JOHN HENDERsON.

